How often are you "SKUNKED"?

[Avalonjohn44]

I would like to propose that catching a bream does not avoid a skunking... Do I have a second?  

I skunked out almost every time I bring my kids fishing.  I spend most of the day untangling lines, getting snags out, and pulling bluegill from hooks...

This year on 16 trips so far this summer, I've skunked out twice.  One of those times I got five bites, and missed every single fish...  The other I threw every bait I could imagine and didn't get a single follow...

2007 it was 5 skunkings on 38 trips...

2006 it was 8 out of 30...

I guess my ratio is improving!

[eddieinva]

i'm new to bass fishing..

started fishing beaverdam in VA..  3 out of 4 days i've fished that lake i've been skunked...  and the 1 day I caught a nice one, was pure luck.. trolling off the back of my yak..  I've used top water/t-rigged-wacky senkos/crank/jigs etc...  i've even bought a fish finder for my yak..  but it's on the fritz..  i'm about to cry... 'm about to cry... :'( :'( :'(

[slomoe]

Lately? all the time  :'(

[Avalonjohn44]

beaverdam in VA

If you're talking about the reservoir in NoVa, then don't worry, that is a tough spot to get a fish.  There are a lot of deep rock outcropings out there that hold a lot of fish.  A few years ago during a dry spell, the water levels fell a ton, and you got to see the bottom.  A lot of featureless sandy/mud bottom... There are a few creekbeds in there, and rock piles, and they hold tons of fish.  

[Bankbeater]

So far three times this year.  I know since I've said it I'll go and get skunked again.

[FishingIsLife]

Define skunked. I mean I bet a lot of us have been skunked in a new pond or lake. Now for bass, yeah I have been skunked. My friend was catching these little bass on some little mino lure he bought, I could of went that route but like everyone else I am looking for the bigger fish. Its hard not to get skunked when you are trying new waters or fish for a few hours at a time. Bass are tough sometimes and being skunked is part of bass fishing and learning new techniques.

[avid]

Rarely these days.  I fish alot in ponds and it's hard not to catch at least a few small bass if you put on a senko and make enough casts.  On some of the bigger waters I fish where the probability of striking out is higher, I still manage at least a couple of bass, often much higher in both number and size, but that's because my fishing buddy SteveP. is good at locating them.

[Chad.]

Once on sunday worst part was, the fish were biting because others in the boat were catching.

It ended as a short trip i never do good in the first half of the day it is ALWAYS the second half were i get my game on.

[fishfordollars]

A skunk to me is not catching a legal(14" in most Texas lakes) tournament fish.

[fivesixone]

I get skunked pretty often... Not because there's not fish biting, I'm just sweatin' so much in this FL heat that I wanna go home!

[Uncle Leo]

Try this, my fishing partner and I, consider one Bass in the boat equals no skunk. Seems everytime we do this neither is skunked. We have not been skunked at all this year.

[JShrock07]

That is a very good way to think about it. The way I do it is pretty much the same way, I have a one bass mentality unless I am fishing a tournament... But i still do get skunked.. but not as often. The reason I have started to go by the one bass mentality is because if you go to a body of water with high expectations you will often get dissappointed. However if you go thinking it would be nice to only catch one bass then every bass after the first bass will only be added satisfaction to your trip.

I watched Rick Clunn talking about this subject one day while I was watching "BassPros" on Versus. It was a very good philosiphy to live by.

-Nitro

[VekolBass]

These days, rarely. Since April I've only been skunked once, and that was because I was fishing new water. I did catch a white bass--but off-target catches don't count in my opinion.

[OleTimer]

I'm still new enough at bass fishing that just being out on the water TRYING to catch fish is enough. But I don't get skunked very often anymore except for two times - tournament day, and anytime I fish Lake Seminole! This year I have only stunk it up once on tournament day (seven events), but I've fished Seminole five times and only caught twice. All that grass just baffles me.

I do get frustrated though when I catch all over the lake during practice and then struggle to get a couple in the boat on tournament day. What's up with that?

[avid]

I do get frustrated though when I catch all over the lake during practice and then struggle to get a couple in the boat on tournament day. What's up with that

Choke.

I know alot of guys over the years who can fish pretty regularly then on tournament they forget everything their own experience has taught them and go running around the lake in a near panic doing things that they "heard" about from others.   Relax, do what you do best.  

[fishfordollars]

Try not soremouthing your fish on practice day. Go in get a bite or two and go try to duplicate the same in another area.

Stay away from all dock talk. It has ruined many a fisherman. Go do your own thing.

Confidence will grow as you learn to do it on your own.

It's known as putting a pattern together, and it is not hard to do. The fish will tell you everything you need to put it together.

[wilsonm1]

Haha i think i get skunked too often its not even a big deal if i dont catch a fish anymore haha..and yet i still spend 100s of dollars on fishing tackle haha am i crazy?

i am only 14 and i usually never catch anything but i still use all my money on fishing lures.  I catch every once in a while.

[EKYFisher01]

Haha, kinda a funny story behind this one.

Ive been fishing a private pond for several months.  Im not the only person that fishes it.  The owner of the pond's son was there one day (hes 10) his father is a very close friend of mine but sadly cannot fish or hunt anymore due to having Lou Gehrigs (sp?) disease.

Anyways.  I pulled up to the pond and his son, one of his friends, and their grand father was there.  We started cutting up and laughing.  Just giving each other a hard time.  We fished for about a hour or so and he caught two and I was still on zero.  They loaded up in their truck and headed out around 9pm and I decided to stay for awhile longer.  As they were driving away he sticks his head out the window and yells to me:

"I HOPE YOU CATCH A ZERO INCH FISH!"

I instantly replied:  "When I catch the big one in here Ill be sure to bring it down and rub it in your face!"  

Sure enough, after about another two hours of fishing.  I caught NOTHING.  A "ZERO inch fish."  

I just found it to be really funny because most of the time coming out of this pond usually yields double digit fish numbers.  As for that night, (the only time ever) a monster of a zero inch fish!   ;D

EKYFisher

[OH-bass614]

usually its got to be a day thats just ubeliveably hazy and i get there and dont think about my presentation or lure choice and just dont focus  

[dodgeguy]

i define skunked as on a fishing trip of 5 hours or more.any less time than that and you may just be fishing when they are inactive.i have seen days where i fish 7 hours biteless and the 8th hour a switch is hit and i catch fish left and right.now that it is summer if most of your fishing is from 2 pm to 5 pm you're gonna be skunked a lot.summertime fish bite early or in the dark.it's all a matter of location and timing.that said i haven't been skunked since last year.

[shorefisher]

I've been fishing an ore bed that is springfed, long and narrow and pretty deep in the middle. Last month my thumb was almost down to the meat from lipping fish but recently the weather has changed and I've been skunked repeatedly. d**n I need a boat.  

[Flywatersmallie]

I fish 5-6 times a week and get skunked on average once or twice a month. Then again the times that I get one dink, well, that happens a lot!! Of course, most of my fishing "trips" are in my yard for an hour or so. Sometimes I nail them, sometimes I dont.

[BossierBassHunter]

i'll put it this way, I don't count the days I get skunked, I count the days I actually catch a bass.

However, I adopted the philosophy someone else said and make sure I at least catch some sort of small bream or something

[Cory20]

I just missed getting skunked the last time I went.

phew!

[snapper G]

Me? Geez, I'd say about about 5 times a year, but that's only by the fish, i get skunked about once a year by a real skunk!  ;D